Teen to stand trial for brutal triple murder

Teen to stand trial for brutal triple murder

Courier Mail, The (Brisbane), 11/05/2006, pg. 15

A ROCKHAMPTON teenager will stand trial over the brutal murder of two teenage boys and a man, 30, in Toowoomba on May 31 last year.

The teenager, who cannot be identified because he is a juvenile, is charged with three counts of murder, four of rape, seven of torture and seven of deprivation of liberty, one of robbery and unlawful use of a motor vehicle.

He was committed for trial yesterday on day five of a committal hearing in Toowoomba Children’s Court.

Two other co-accused teenagers, one from Rockhampton and one from Toowoomba, are also facing multiple charges including murder, rape and torture.

The court has heard the teenager committed for trial had repeatedly hit the first murder victim, Tyson Wilson, 17, in the face with a billiard ball in a sock during a brutal fatal attack on the boy while he was sleeping; repeatedly hit the second victim David Lyons, 17, with a metal pipe; twisted the third victim Michael Thompson’s neck and hit him repeatedly with a metal pipe; and left the scene taking four teenagers hostage in a van.

The barrister representing the teenager committed for trial yesterday, made submissions before the conclusion of the committal hearing asking that all seven torture charges against his client be dropped.

Barrister Robbie Davies challenged the torture charges relating to five other teenagers held at the unit and as hostages in a van.

He also asked that a charge of attempted rape and one or two of the other rape charges be dropped.

Crown prosecutor Sgt Tony Costa told the court the torture charges against the accused should remain.

Magistrate Bruce Schemioneck ruled there was insufficient evidence to commit the accused on the attempted rape charge but committed him on the remaining 23 charges.